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Closure of Pittsburgh Coal-Processing Plant Tied to Local Health Gains
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Closure of Pittsburgh Coal-Processing Plant Tied to Local Health Gains

The closure in January 2016 of one of Pittsburgh’s biggest coal-processing plants led to immediate and lasting declines in emissions of fossil fuel-related air pollutants. These in turn were linked to near-instant decreases in local heart-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases, a new study shows. The impact of the closure persisted through...

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A New Vision for U.S. Health Care

It’s not exactly what he’s best known for, but Alexander Hamilton helped develop the first national, compulsory health insurance policy in the world: a 1798 taxpayer-financed plan Congress approved to cover sick and disabled seamen. “The interests of humanity are concerned in it,” Hamilton wrote. And they still are, as MIT Professor Amy Finkelstein notes...

Community Spaces May Promote Healthy Aging for Rural Black, Hispanic Adults
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Community Spaces May Promote Healthy Aging for Rural Black, Hispanic Adults

Millions of Americans over the age of 65 lack access to the social and emotional support they need for healthy aging, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Non-white individuals in rural communities are especially susceptible. New research from Penn State found that the presence of social infrastructure — shared community spaces that are free...

Alcohol Harm Reduction Can Also Reduce Other Substance Use
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Alcohol Harm Reduction Can Also Reduce Other Substance Use

Quitting alcohol or drugs was not a top priority for people experiencing homelessness in a harm reduction treatment study, yet participants still reduced their use of both. A different approach than traditional abstinence-based programs, harm reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder, also called HaRT-A, has patients set their own goals. In a study of 308...

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Price Vs. Health: Food Shoppers Choose Price

Key Takeaways: When food consumers are properly incentivized, they will choose healthier options. When financial incentives are removed, consumers are more likely to choose less healthy options by comparison. A new study of food consumer shopping behaviors has found that when faced with a choice – lower prices or healthier foods – they will likely...

New Book Sheds Light on Adult Mortality in India
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New Book Sheds Light on Adult Mortality in India

A new book titled, Adult Mortality in India: Trends, Socioeconomic Disparities, and Consequences, provides an in-depth analysis of adult mortality patterns in the country and addresses crucial issues related to public health and policy. Authored by Moradhvaj Dhakad, a researcher in the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program, and IIASA alumna Nandita Saikia (currently a...

Facebook Fitness and Insta-Vitamins: How Social Media Shapes Women’s Health
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Facebook Fitness and Insta-Vitamins: How Social Media Shapes Women’s Health

A new study led by researchers from the University of Sydney has found young women’s engagement with social media plays a major role in shaping how they think – and act – in relation to their health. The research, published in the peer reviewed journal Health Marketing Quarterly, studied 30 women aged between 18 and 35...

Impacts of YouTube on Loneliness and Mental Health
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Impacts of YouTube on Loneliness and Mental Health

Frequent users of YouTube have higher levels of loneliness, anxiety, and depression according to researchers from the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP). Dr. Luke Balcombe and Emeritus Professor Diego De Leo from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology and AISRAP sought to understand both the positive and negative impacts of the world’s...